Lorain County School Resource Officers provide safe environment

MORNING JOURNAL/ERIC BONZAR
Lorain High School Safety Officer Chris Gonzalez keeps a close eye on students during their lunch. Gonzalez said that lunches are broken up into three separate periods, accommodating about 400 of the school’s 1,200 students each period.

As safety becomes a more critical issue for schools nationwide, Lorain County education officials reveal how their school resource officers keep students safe.
The Ohio School Resource Association said school resource officers are sworn-in police officers stationed on campuses to serve as a liaison between learning institutions and local law enforcement.
Apart from the necessary law enforcement experience and certification, resource officers are unique because they say they must undergo additional training to meet the needs and struggles of today’s impressionable youth.
Brian Hurd, a resource officer for Avon Lake City Schools, said his position with the district is not easy, but it is rewarding.
“My job with the district is to protect students, but also be a person of counsel and positive role model in their lives,” Hurd said. “Bullying has been and still is a major issue in schools. So my job is to help ‘keep the peace’ while promoting and encouraging safety and smart choices.
“It’s not an easy task by any means, but it’s definitely worth it.”
Avon Lake Schools Superintendent Robert Scott spoke highly of Hurd, saying the community supports him.
“Officer Hurd has been a great asset to our students and district,” Scott said. “He not only instructs our kids on safe practices at school, but has made our students more aware of the dangers of drugs and alcohol. It’s something we really appreciate as a district considering the fact that substance abuse is an issue the city and county is presently struggling with.”
In Lorain, safety officers monitor the perpetual ebb and flow of some 1,200 students at the Lorain High School throughout the day.
Jamie Montague, safety coordinator and security supervisor, said although the high school uses Lorain Police Officer Jason Orellano — who serves as the school’s resource officer to handle the “criminal side” of affairs, the role of the high school’s safety officers is to maintain order as opposed to creating a policed environment.
“It’s preventative as opposed to reactive,” Montague said. “For the most part, they police themselves and then we redirect.”
And redirection comes more frequently than in the past.
Under the new system of 55-minute classes — as opposed to the former 90-minute block scheduling — transitions are made eight times a day, twice as many as before. The class transitions make the cafeteria more manageable and ordered.
“There is a lot more traffic and activity than before,” said safety officer Chris Gonzalez. “On top of that, in the past, students were given five minutes in between classes. Now they only get three, so these kids have to move.
“And as you can see we try to encourage them to keep it moving along. There isn’t a whole lot of socializing in the hallways.”
Gonzalez, a seven-year employee of the program, is no stranger to juveniles. He has six years of experience as a Lorain City Jail correction officer and two years working within the Lorain County Boys Detention Home.
And as a south Lorain resident and father of a recent Lorain High School graduate, Gonzalez has built a bond with students inside and outside of the classrooms through the shouts of “Gonzo” as he walks up and down the corridors, Montague said.
“He’s formed a relationship with the students,” he said. “When you do that, they confide in you and pretty much tell you everything.”
Gonzalez said being a safety officer is not so much needing to know what a student is up to, but more being up to knowing a student’s needs. Although the high school is segregated by those needs, different times throughout the day require the blending of personalities and educational disabilities, he said.
Gonzalez said students with educational disabilities garner his attention the most.
“They’re like second family to me,” Gonzalez said. “I try to know them by name the best that I can and know their disabilities.”
Gonzalez and Montague both agreed that accommodating students’ needs and providing them outlets to vent their concerns is crucial to maintaining order and providing a healthy environment for learning.
That’s why Lorain City Schools has implemented a district-wide anti-bullying “tipline” where students who feel harassed, intimidated or threatened, or know someone who has been subjected to bullying can confide in safety officers any time of the day by calling 440-233-2300, Montague said.
“It is anonymous,” he said. “Now we are able to listen and act on that. No one knows who said it or where the information came from.”
Avon Local Schools recently added resource officers. Superintendent Mike Laub said the district worked closely with the city and Avon Police Department to hire two part-time resource officers.
“The officers started in August and so far things have been great,” Laub said. “We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from students, parents and community members who have expressed their excitement about the heightened visibility of the police department in our schools. I cannot thank the Avon Police Department enough for their help in getting these officers in place. We believe they will do great things for our students and schools.”
For more information about School Resource Officers, visit osroa.org.

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About the Authors

Adriana is the courts and county reporter for Lorain County. She has a B.A. in Journalism and Promotional Communication from Cleveland State University. Reach the author at aadkins@morningjournal.com
or follow Adriana on Twitter: @MJ_AAdkins.